In a prospective observational study 4,485 patients from 46 clinical centres in 17 European countries were followed between April 1994 and November 1996. Information on AIDS-defining events (ADEs) were collected together with basic demographic data, treatment history and laboratory results. The centres were divided into four geographical regions (north, central, south-west and south-east) so th...

The recent explosion in the availability of genetic sequence data has made large-scale phylogenetic inference routine in many life sciences laboratories. The outcomes of such analyses are, typically, a variety of candidate phylogenetic relationships or tree topologies, even when the power of genome-scale data is exploited. Because much phylogenetic information must be buried in such topology di...

INTRODUCTION Rubella is generally a mild rush fever disease when acquired in childhood, but when infection occurs during the first months of pregnancy, high risk of trans-placental transmission to the foetus and of congenital anomalies exists. In November 2003, a National Plan for measles and congenital rubella elimination was approved in Italy. The aim was to reduce and maintain Congenital Rub...

Malaria is a preventable disease, which is under notified in the U.K. This study sought to evaluate the current surveillance arrangements in Northern Ireland (NI), describe the epidemiology of malaria and make appropriate recommendations. A case was defined as a resident or visitor to NI with laboratory confirmed malaria, diagnosed by the NI haematology laboratories and/or the Malaria Reference...

Manuscript received: July 2001 Guest Editor: Jenny Edwards Copyright© 2001, Australian Computer Society Inc. General permission to republish, but not for profit, all or part of this material is granted, provided that the JRPIT copyright notice is given and that reference is made to the publication, to its date of issue, and to the fact that reprinting privileges were granted by permission of th...

Antigens derived from three different yeast strains of Histoplasma capsulatum (GW and VC used by the Veterans Administration Serology Reference Laboratory and the Centers for Disease Control reference antigen, A811) were compared with each other to determine their equivalency. Results from 200 sera, tested concurrently by the Serology Reference Laboratory and the University of Kentucky Mycosero...

AIM To evaluate the current practices in laboratory disease detection, biosafety and biosecurity measures and information-sharing systems available to the public health systems in R. Macedonia and the Balkan region. METHODS Epidemiological studies were reviewed from the region to examine the high incidence of localized forms of human brucellosis. RESULTS There is clearly a need for the deve...

Background Left ventricular (LV) myocardial wall thickness is influenced by non-ischemic conditions like cardiomyopathies (CMP) as well as ischemic disorders, i. e. coronary artery disease (CAD). For CMP, regional wall thickness under resting conditions has prognostic value and serves as risk predictor for future cardiovascular events. In CAD, aside from perfusion also inadequate dobutamine wal...

In May 1988 the World Health Assembly adopted a resolution for the global eradication of poliomyelitis. Since then two target dates for eradication (2000 and 2003) have passed and the struggle to eradicate the poliovirus continues. Australia's commitment to the worldwide campaign began in December 1994 with the designation of the National Poliovirus Reference Laboratory at the Victorian Infecti...